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Dec. 12th, 2006 02:36 pm| GIRLS' NAMES |
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| New to the Top 100 Aubrey Juliana Maggie Nevaeh (most intriguing new addition: "heaven" spelled backwards) |
| Rising stars Addison (up 57 places; fastest riser) Camryn (up 30 places) Charlotte (up 22 places) Claire (up 23 places) Chloe (new to top 20) Lily (up 12; break Top 10 next year?) |
| On the way out? Makayla (down 29; fastest fall) Bailey (down 25; on its way out) |
| Notable mentions Mackenzie (most spelling variations: 45) Jayden (back in Top 100) |
| BOYS' NAMES |
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| New to the Top 100 Brody Miles Peyton(this is placeholder text, because we need this table to wider) |
| Rising stars Landon (up 19 places; fastest riser Brayden (up 15 places; second-fastest riser) Logan (up 9 places; new to Top 10) Noah (up 9 places) |
| On the way out? Julian (down 17; fastest fall to 95) Tyler (down 8; out of Top 10 for first time since 2001) Zachary (down 6; booted from Top 20 after five years) |
| Notable mentions Caden (most spelling variations: 32) Steven (first time in Top 100 since 2001) |
Creative spelling
If you look at the past five years or so of baby names, you'll be forgiven for thinking that many parents lack imagination. The same names appear again and again, perhaps sliding modestly up or down a few spaces.
But the truth is, behind the numbers lies a wealth of experimentation and innovation. Today's parents are actually far more creative than their parents were, and their imagination may astound you. And it all comes down to spelling.
Look at the more than 30 ways parents have spelled a single name: Caden, Cadin, Cayden, Caiden, Caeden, Caidan, Cadyn, Caydan, Caydn, Caidyn, Cadan, Cadon, Cadaan, Caedon, Caedan, Kaidan, Kaiden, Kayden, Kaidyn, Kaidynn, Kaidon, Kaidin, Kaden, Kaeden, Kadin, Kaedyn, Kaedan, Kadyn, Kaedon, Kaedin, Kadan, Kadon.
Now that's creativity!
Here are some spelling trends we've seen in 2006:
Y not? — The letter "y" has become a popular replacement for "i": Madyson, Aydan, Mychael.
Silent additions — The letter "h" gets dropped in here and there as a silent decoration: Rhyon, Jhordyn, Loghan.
Punctuation variation — Creative use of apostrophes is a popular way of jazzing up names: Ky'Lee, Jaz'Myne, Jay'Den.
Vowel play — Parents create variety by spelling a common vowel sound in different ways, like the sound "ee" (Hayley, Haylee, Haleigh) or the sound "ay" (Jayden, Jaiden, Jaeden).
Consonant swap — Instead of "c," pick "k" (Konner, Kaleb, Khloe). Instead of "ph," simplify with "f" (Cristofer, Sofee, Josef). And opt for "x" instead of "cks" (Jaxxon), or "z" instead of "s" (Izabella).
Sounds like ...
We also found trends in the way today's popular names sound:
• Single-syllable names are quite popular for boys (nearly 20 percent of the Top 100), but not popular for girls (only 6 percent).
• Almost 40 percent of the top 100 boys' names have a suffix with the sound "—en": Logan, Landon, Devin.
• Nearly 40 percent of the top 100 girls' names have a suffix with the sound "—ah": Alyssa, Amanda, Amelia.
• And almost 30 percent of the top 100 girls' names have a suffix with the sound "—ee": Hailey, Riley, Kaylee.
Sounds like ...
We also found trends in the way today's popular names sound:
• Single-syllable names are quite popular for boys (nearly 20 percent of the Top 100), but not popular for girls (only 6 percent).
• Almost 40 percent of the top 100 boys' names have a suffix with the sound "—en": Logan, Landon, Devin.
• Nearly 40 percent of the top 100 girls' names have a suffix with the sound "—ah": Alyssa, Amanda, Amelia.
• And almost 30 percent of the top 100 girls' names have a suffix with the sound "—ee": Hailey, Riley, Kaylee.
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Date: 2006-12-13 04:56 pm (UTC)